Astronomy: Solar eclipse on Aug. 21 will be 'amazing' even at three-quarter coverage

It won’t be quite as special as the show to the south, but the Great American Eclipse will still grace Southwestern Ontario with an impressive astronomical scene.

Monday’s solar eclipse will offer a rare celestial view as the moon’s orbit brings it between Earth and its sun, blocking the sun from view.

This region will see a partial eclipse — where the moon covers about three-quarters of the sun — while Americans between Oregon and South Carolina will get the full treatment.

“It’s still an amazing event,” said Prof. Jan Cami, director of the Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory at Western University.

The university is hosting a free viewing party, setting up telescopes on the hill in front of University College to help eclipse-watchers get the best look. It should be visible in London from 1 to 3:40 p.m.

“For pretty much all of the astronomical phenomena that we experience, it’s one of those (rare) moments where you actually see what’s going on,” Cami said. “You see it with your very own eyes.”

Looking directly at the sun is never smart, but staring straight into that orb in hopes of catching the solar eclipse is especially dangerous, Cami said.

Amateur astronomers can pick up special eclipse glasses at the Western event, which make it safe to watch the solar scene unfold.

Without protection, the strength of the sun can burn straight through retinas and cause permanent eye damage, even blindness, Cami warned.

Londoners also can enjoy the full effects of the Great American Eclipse — so called because this eclipse will be fully visible on land only over the U.S. — through a live stream broadcast from the “path of totality,” the direct swath through the U.S. where the moon will block the entire sun.

This 2015 solar eclipse was seen from Norway’s Svalbard Islands. (Getty file)

Cami called the total solar eclipse “the most awesome experience I’ve ever seen.” The temperature drops a few degrees, the sky darkens while the sun looks like a glittering diamond, then a black hole.

Most local astronomers are travelling to the U.S. to see the full effect, Cami added.

In the Cronyn Observatory, a Canada 150 event celebrating the country’s astronomical heritage will be unveiled. The partial solar eclipse also will be projected onto a screen in the observatory, using the facility’s powerful telescope.